Agricultural Settlements Among Native Americans: Insights on Population and Culture
Agricultural settlements have significantly influenced Native American societies, enabling easier food production and supporting larger populations. These settlements, predominantly found east of the Mississippi River, differed from European practices, lacking wheels, sailing ships, or domesticated animals. The Mexica, known as the Aztecs, boasted a population between 8-25 million, worshipped the war god Huitzilopochtli, practiced human sacrifice of POWs, and relied on tribute from conquered tribes. Despite their advanced civilization, much of their history is lost due to oral tradition and the absence of written records.
Agricultural Settlements Among Native Americans: Insights on Population and Culture
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Presentation Transcript
Agricultural Settlements • Advantages: • Easier to feed the population • Larger populations • Easier to defend • Division of Labor
Native Americans 1490 • 18-20 million • 4 million • 1 million • 1/3 East of Mississippi River
Differences from Europeans • No wheels or sailing ships • No domesticated animals • Copper was the only metal
Mexica = Aztecs • 8-25 million in the empire. • Worshipped Huitzilopochtli (war god) • Human sacrifice of POW’s • Collected tribute from conquered tribes.
Mexica = Aztecs • Warriors were the highest class • Oral tradition so much of their history is lost.
